South Bend on Purpose

Welcome to the first episode of our series documenting our Kickstarter-funded trip to South Carolina.

On this episode, Dustin and Jacob are joined by Maria Gibbs to reflect on our drive from South Bend to Asheville, North Carolina and interview her mother Cynthia Gibbs about her support for Mayor Pete and the political environment in her community.

Welcome to the third and final episode of our three-part series documenting our trip to the Iowa caucus.On this episode, Dustin and I are joined by Maria Gibbs to reflect on our Monday in Dubuque on the day of the Iowa Caucus. We ate lunch at a quintessential dive bar, explored historic sites around the city, got to know an immigrant restauranteur, and observed a caucus in a high school gymnasium.

Welcome to the second episode of our three-part series documenting our trip to the Iowa caucus.On this episode, Dustin and I are joined by Maria Gibbs to reflect on our Sunday in Cedar Rapids and Grinnell and look forward to the Monday night caucus. We attended a Tom Steyer climate justice morning town hall in Cedar Rapids, visited a RAYGUN shop, drove out to Grinnell, and ended the day with a 12-pack of Grainbelt to watch the Super Bowl and West Wing.

Welcome to the first episode of our three-part series documenting our trip to the Iowa caucus.On this episode, Dustin and I are joined by Maria Gibbs and John Garry to reflect on our Saturday in Waterloo, IA. We attended Mayor Pete’s morning town hall at The National Cattle Congress, knocked on seventy-one doors to get out the caucus, visited Joe Biden’s evening event, and ended the day with local pizza and Old Milwaukee around the kitchen table.

On Monday, August 12th we hosted the final live event at Ironhand Wine Bar inside The Amory. We interviewed Brad and Regina Emberton, the duo behind The Armory's transformation, and enjoyed an evening of eclectic vinyl spun live by Ethan Marosz, tours of the building, and spirited conversation. For a visual glimpse into the evening, read our story A Night at The Armory. Our conversation explores the Emberton’s path to purchasing the condemned building, its curious history as a shooting range, recreation facility, and wedding venue, and the future of the surrounding district.

This episode, though part of our live series, is a throwback to the season two format of the two of us in the studio with a guest. We interviewed Aaron Perri, Executive Director of Venues Parks & Arts, about his work to re-imagine the future of Howard Park, South Bend’s oldest and largest park. Our wide-ranging conversation explores Aaron’s history with South Bend, his thoughts on what a good park can do for a neighborhood, how he thinks about ending creative projects, the founding of Howard Park as an innovative pleasure ground, and what Howard Park’s multi-million dollar transformation will mean to the city at-large. It is one of our favorite episodes.

On Tuesday, June 25th we hosted the third of these live events in The Lauber Kitchen and Bar, a newly-opened restaurant inside the historic J.C. Lauber Building. We interviewed Frank Perri, the building’s owner and developer, and Patrick Whittling, a partner in the project, who, separately and together, are rapidly changing the landscape of South Bend’s East Bank neighborhood. Our conversation explores the neighborhood’s history as Lowell, Indiana before becoming part of South Bend, Frank and Patrick’s history with the city, and how they think about designing a space that serves a modern purpose without compromising the building’s legacy.

Neighborhoods, and the streets that run through them, are the lifeblood of our city, the spaces where daily life unites with culture, art, and business. Streets like Western Avenue, at once owned by everyone and no one, are often an emblem of pride for the surrounding residents, but without investment can deteriorate into a blemish on the neighborhood’s identity. It’s a challenge and an opportunity. This is a story about a group of people who took on the responsibility of fighting for their corridor’s future, transforming Western from a street that you would drive through, to a neighborhood that you drive to.

On Wednesday, May 15th we hosted the second of these live events on Western Avenue, a West Side corridor home to a string of small, family-owned businesses including Chico's Restaurant, Taqueria Chicago, and La Rosita. We interviewed Sam Centellas, Director of La Casa de Amistad, and Scott Ford, former Director of the City's Community Investment office, who both played pivotal roles in the corridor’s transformation and economic resurgence.

Three years ago, a local couple purchased a seemingly nondescript printing plant in downtown South Bend for $240,000. In the coming months, together with eight additional partners, the couple would gather $6 million to undertake what is perhaps the city’s most ambitious and risk-laden side project in recent history.Their goals: contribute to the city’s resurgence and “don’t lose any f***ing money.”

On Monday, March 25th we hosted the first of these live events in the basement of The Hibberd, a historic printing plant finding new life as a mixed-use apartment and retail space in downtown South Bend. Our guests, Mark Neal, Kyle Copelin, and Deirdre Mylod, are longtime city contributors and three of the partners in The Hibberd restoration project. Our conversation explores their decision to risk time and money on a restoration project, The Hibberd’s contribution to South Bend’s resurgent narrative, and their vision of a vibrant, walkable downtown.

For anyone, owning a building and business in downtown South Bend over the past twenty-eight years has been anything but easy. How people conjured up the courage to invest in South Bend after watching decade after decade of near-constant decline and demolition is beyond us. Mark McDonnell did it and is the subject of today’s episode. 

A couple days before our end-of-Season 2 party at LaSalle Kitchen and Tavern, Jacob and Dustin sat down for a conversation with the restaurant’s owner, Mark McDonnell, in his 3-story brick building on Colfax – the oldest existing commercial structure and the second oldest building in downtown South Bend.Our conversation explores the history of the building, from its original construction and the many businesses that resided within, to its role today as home to two of the most popular downtown restaurants.